Bishop Cotton Girls' School
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Bishop Cotton Girls' School, or BCGS, is a private all-girls' school for boarders and day scholars in
Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
,
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The school offers academic
scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
, which aid students from lower income backgrounds to afford
tuition Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...
and boarding
fees A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead (business), overhead, wages, costs, and Profit (accounting), markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Repu ...
. It has been awarded the International School award by the
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
. The school curriculum is based on the ICSE format of education, and has teaching facilities from Kindergarten, 1 to 10 (ICSE) and 11 and 12 (ISC).


History

Founded in 1865, it is one of the oldest established boarding schools in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. The school was named after Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, the son of an Army captain, who died leading his regiment in battle. He was a scholar of
Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...
, and a graduate of
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
. In 1836 he was appointed Assistant Master at
Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
by Doctor Thomas Arnold, one of the founders of the British public school system. It was the proposal of Bishop Cotton to create schools in India that resulted in the founding of Bishop Cotton's on 19 April 1865. The institution was opened for both boys and girls in a bungalow named Westward Ho in High Grounds. In 1871, the management acquired 14 acres of land on St. Mark's Road and shifted the school, demarcating two areas, one for the boys school and the other for the girls, with a wall separating the two. In 1911, the management acquired Stafford House and its surrounding eight and a half acres with access to both Residency Road and St. Mark's Road and shifted the school, giving Bishop Cotton Girls' School its own identity. In 1915, money was sanctioned to construct the administration block and the quad. More buildings were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s including the Chapel of the Holy Family. The first Indian principal to take charge of the school was CA (Acca) Joseph in 1963. Extracurricular activities includes sport, debate, creative writing, dramatics, declamation, verse speaking and choir. It is affiliated with Bishop Cotton Boys School, which is situated across the street on St. Marks Road.


School motto

Nec Dextrorsum - Nec Sinistrosum "Neither to the right nor to the left", the motto reflects the spirit of the school. It is taken from a Latin translation of a phrase in the Old Testament of the Bible. The new leader Joshua is commissioned by God to be a true follower of His law, 'neither to the left nor to the right'.


School shield

The crest of the shield is the family crest of Bishop Cotton of Calcutta. The crest is divided vertically - the right side (dexter) has the arms of the Bishop of Calcutta. The Bishop's mitre on top is green on a white background and the staff and open Bible are in the bottom half on a red background. The left side (sinister) has three skeins of cotton and a chevron (inverted v) on a blue background. This side represents the ancient house to which Bishop Cotton belonged. The crest thus symbolises the godliness, service and courage for which the school stands.


School song and founder's hymn

The Bishop Cotton
school song A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools. Australia *The Glennie School – ''Now Thank We All Our God'' ...
was penned by Rev. Herbert Pakenham-Walsh, of the Brotherhood of St. Peter, Warden of the school from 1907 to 1913, later to become bishop. The words were set to music by N. M. Saunders, Esq. With its refrain "On, Straight, On", it follows the spirit of the school motto, "Nec Dextrorsum Nec Sinistrorsum",
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for "Neither to the Right Nor to the Left". The tradition of singing the school song and the founder's
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...
in the chapel or in assemblies held in the auditorium continues to this day.


Academics

The school, administered along the lines of Junior, Middle and Senior School, works through three school terms, each ending with examinations. Students of Class X appear for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ICSE) by the beginning of March. Students of Class XII take up the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISC). Subjects taught at the ICSE level include English, an Indian or foreign language, History, Civics and Geography, Environmental Education, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and a choice between Home Science, Computer Applications, Fine Arts and Physical Education. At the ISC level, the school has three main streams, the Science stream, the Commerce stream and the Arts stream. It is mandatory for both streams to take up English and Environmental Education. For the Science stream, the subjects offered are English, Environmental Education, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics/Home Science and a choice between Biotechnology, Computer Science, Hindi, Kannada, Fine Arts, Biology and Environmental Science. For the Commerce stream, the subjects offered are Accountancy and Commerce and a choice between Business Studies, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Fine Arts, Environmental Science and Physical Education. For the Arts stream the subjects offered are English, Environmental Education and History along with choices among Literature in English, Second Language, Environmental Science, Physical Education, Economics, Computer Science, Fine Art, Home Science, Business Studies, Political Science and Psychology. The school offers language options of Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Nepali, French and German.


Sports

Organized games includes the inter-school games competitions. * Cottonian Shield - basketball * Cottonian Shield - hockey


Principals

* Miss F Elmes (1913–1934) was the first principal. She expanded the building adjoining Stafford House. * Miss R.M. Waller (1935–1944). * Miss M.E. Hardy (1945–1952) came to Cottons after years of service as a missionary in Burma. * Miss E.J. Drayton (January 1953 – 2 June 1953). * Mrs. C.M. Gaughan (1953–1954). * Miss C.B. Schiff (1954–1957). The building of the Art Room and the extension of the Staff Room were accomplished during her tenure. * Miss C.M. Millington (1958–1962) had been on the Staff of the school before she took over as Principal. The Raman Science Block and the Chapel of the Holy Family were constructed during this time. The Examination system changed over from the Cambridge Certificate to the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISC). * Mrs. Acca Joseph (1963–1972) took over as the first Indian Principal in 1963. The library was inaugurated and the boarding block was built. * Miss Grace Samuel (1972–1973) came to Cotton's after nine years in the USA. * Mrs. V.M. Chandran (1973–1978) a member of the staff from 1959, took over as Principal in 1973. Her achievement was the construction of the auditorium, although she did not stay to witness its completion, it was her enthusiasm and hard work that made it possible. The Parents' Block was inaugurated during this period. * Mrs. G. Clarke (1978–1988) introduced two new Houses - Elmes and Waller - to the existing Barton, Foley and Maiden Houses, as the number of students had increased. The pale green tunics changed to dark green. Computer studies were introduced. The strength of the School went from 700 to 3000. Six additional classrooms were built and the shift system was introduced. The work on the auditorium was completed and a new Dining Hall for the boarders was planned. The Bishop Cotton Women's' Christian College was started in 1985, the first of its kind in the Diocese. * Mrs. Elizabeth Joseph (1988–1999) a member of staff from 1971, took over as Principal in September 1988. Several structural extensions and additions were made during this period. The auditorium was renovated, the mezzanine floor and stage built with co-ordinating interiors and the lighting system. The hostel side of the campus acquired a multi-purpose Dining Hall with the Staff Quarters built above it. * Dr. Mrs. Stella Samuel (1999–2005) took over as Principal in June 1999 after having served the school for 25 years as a member of the staff. She had joined the school in 1974. The Administrative block was renovated, and the ISC block took shape. A school transport system in collaboration with BMTC was introduced. Internet, intranet, fax and email were installed. * Mrs. Princess Franklyn (2005–2010) was brought on a transfer from a School in Tumkur. * Mrs. Lydia Joshua (2010–2014). * Princess Franklyn returned (June 2014 – October 2014). During the course of the academic year she had to retire and left Ranjitha Kanagaraj as the principal-in-charge.


Notable alumni

*
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*
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first runner-up 1996 *
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References


External links

*
Cottonians Connect
Old Cottonian website] {{coord, 12.9704, 77.6014, type:edu_region:IN-KA, display=title Church of South India schools Bangalore Civil and Military Station Nondenominational Christian schools in India Schools in Colonial India Christian schools in Karnataka Boarding schools in Karnataka Girls' schools in Karnataka Primary schools in Karnataka High schools and secondary schools in Bangalore Private schools in Bangalore Educational institutions established in 1865 1865 establishments in India